Most of the venues are now complete with the exception of water polo venue, multi-use Eton Manor and the Olympic Village, which the ODA are due to handover at the end of this month. 

"This will be a seamless transition, so you probably wouldn't even realise there were new people in charge," writes Dennis Hone, the chief executive of the ODA, in an exclusive blog for insidethegames. 

The handing over ceremony, which is due to be a low-key affair, means that the building programme has been completed on time and on budget - something which will confound critics who doubted that Britain was capable of completing such a mega project when London was awarded the Olympics and Paralympics in July 2005.

"That immovable deadline we always talked about was a big positive, not a millstone around our necks - everyone knew what they had to do, and when," writes Hone (pictured).

"It concentrated minds wonderfully.

"London 2012 has been marked every step of the way not with great expectations, but with confounded expectations: we weren't supposed to win the Games, we weren't supposed to build the venues on time, or within budget.

"But we did.

"We British do like a grumble and sometimes with reason.

"But this is actually a Team GB success story worthy of a gold medal.

"So third, reports of the decline of British engineering, skill and innovation were wide of the mark.

"This has been a triumph for Great Britain - for companies big and small, workers and management, and public and private sectors working in partnership.

"It has shown that we can do big projects.

"Anyone who doubts that should look at the pictures of what is now the Park, back in 2004 and 2005.

"The transformation is amazing.

"Who seriously thinks this would have been achieved so quickly and smoothly without the Olympic impetus?"

To read Dennis Hone's full blog click here. 

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]